


The Princess and the Dragon

by theladyofcamelias



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairytale, F/F, Sansa Stark/Sandor Clegane (minor), Shapeshifter Daenerys Targaryen, Shapeshifting Dragon, Stark Sister Solidarity, fairytale AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23046568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladyofcamelias/pseuds/theladyofcamelias
Summary: “Mama, mama! Tell me a story!”“No. You have to sleep now.” Carefully, she heaved the little girl onto the bed and smoothed a blanket over her.“But Mama! I’m not...” she yawned, “I’m not tired yet!”“Sure you aren’t.” Arya said, smoothing her daughter’s hair out of her face. “But if your mommy catches us talking instead of sleeping she’ll have my hide.”Stubbornly, the little girl kicked and squirmed against the heavy blanket.“Please!” She begged. “Please, please, please, please, please.”Arya huffed.“Fine.” She plopped on the seat next to the bed. “And I know just what story to tell you to.”“Oh?”“I’ll tell you the story of the princess and the dragon.”The little girl sat up and grinned impatiently.“Once upon a time,” Arya began, fiddling with the sapphire on her silver ring, “there was a princess who lived in a castle tucked away in the far northern lands...
Relationships: Arya Stark/Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 3
Kudos: 118





	The Princess and the Dragon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fanetjuh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanetjuh/gifts).



“Mama, mama! Tell me a story!”  
“No. You have to sleep now.” Carefully, she heaved the little girl onto the bed and smoothed a blanket over her.  
“But Mama! I’m not...” she yawned, “I’m not tired yet!”  
“Sure you aren’t.” Arya said, smoothing her daughter’s hair out of her face. “But if your mommy catches us talking instead of sleeping she’ll have my hide.”  
Stubbornly, the little girl kicked and squirmed against the heavy blanket.  
“Please!” She begged. “Please, please, please, please, please.”  
Arya huffed.  
“Fine.” She plopped on the seat next to the bed. “And I know just what story to tell you to.”  
“Oh?”  
“I’ll tell you the story of the princess and the dragon.”  
The little girl sat up and grinned impatiently.  
“ _Once upon a time,_ ” Arya began, fiddling with the sapphire on her silver ring, “ _there was a princess who lived in a castle tucked away in the far northern lands._ ”

_These lands were ruled by a wise and kind king. He loved his subjects very much and they loved him in return. He was married to a beautiful queen who was as beautiful as she was strong. Together they had five beautiful children who would someday grow up to becomes kings and queens of their own._

_But one day, troubling reports reached the king’s ears. A dragon had taken residence in one of the mountains and was burning down forests, villages, and farms. The king sent knight after knight and soldiers after soldiers to slay the dragon but alas, none of them returned. The king grew desperate as his subjects kept pleading and begging for salvation, so he made it known that whoever managed to slay the dragon would receive his eldest daughter’s hand in marriage._

_The king had two beautiful daughters. The eldest princess was as fair and beautiful as her mother with a shrewd mind and a graceful manner that was enough to entice the heart of all who beheld her. Thousands of lords and knights presented themselves at the castle in the hopes of winning the princess’ heart and favor, which she would not grant them._

_It was the princess’ little sister, however, who noticed her elder sister’s despair_.  
_“What’s troubling you?”_  
_Heartbroken, the princess confided in her sister._  
_“Prince Joffrey has vowed to try and slay the dragon and has brought a hundred of the finest knights with him. Surely he shall succeed and I shall be forced to wed him.”_  
_A tear escaped her eyes. The sight of it distraught the younger princess._  
_“It shan’t happen. I won’t let it.” The younger princess vowed. “Tell me who it is you wish to wed and I shall ensure they win.”_  
_Silence stretched between the two sisters._  
_“Are any of the men who came here to your liking?”_  
_The older princess shook her head._  
_“Do not tell father!” She begged her sister. “He will feel terrible and there is naught he can do about it now. He has given his word and a king must always keep his word.”_  
_“Then I shall do it. I will go slay the dragon for you. That way you shan’t be forced to wed anyone.”_  
_The princess begged her sister not to go, fearing for her life, but she would not be swayed and eventually, the princess relented._  
_“Here is my favor, sweet sister.” She handed her a silver ring with a large sapphire. “I hope it brings you luck.”_

_That night, the princess snuck out of the castle with nothing but a thin blade that had been gifted to her by her brother which she called ‘Needle’, and the ring her sister had given her._

“Is she going to slay the dragon? For real?”  
“You’re supposed to be closing your eyes and going to sleep young lady.” Said Arya sternly, the ghost of a smile twitching on her lips. “And yes, she left the castle in the middle of the night, without telling anyone except her sister, and rode of on her horse to slay the dragon herself.”  
“What did the older princess say? When her parents noticed that younger sister was gone?”  
“I imagined nobody asked her. You see this younger princess was very wild and would often run into the woods with her wolf to fight bandits and have adventures.”  
“The princess had a wolf?” The little girl!s eyes shined in excitement.  
“Yes she did. The princess had a wolf companion that followed her everywhere she went.”  
“Just like you!”  
Arya smiled ruefully.  
“Nymeria’s not a wolf darling. I told you so already.”  
“I know.” She bit back a yawn and settled back in her pillows.  
“So where was I?”  
“The princess had just run away from the castle!”  
“Right. So...”

_The princess journeyed for seven days and seven nights before she came to the foot of the_  
_mountain where the dragon lived. The mountain was large and imposing, made of sharp, jaded obsidian rocks that only served to make the mountain look more inhospitable. The top of the mountain was lost among the clouds, ever so often a puff of steam could be seen rising from the top before disappearing in the clear blue sky._

_The princess began her climb but she had barely began her journey before she spotted a young lady, alone on the side of the road. The princess was immediately stuck by her beauty. The lady was tall and pale, her hair was as silver as moonlight and her eyes were a deep violet. She was wearing a black, scaly dress that only made her beauty more striking._

_“Greetings,” said the mysterious lady. “Are you lost?”_  
_“No,” said the princess, “I’ve come to slay the dragon.”_  
_The lady looked amused._  
_“You? Slay the dragon? Will you skewer him with that little blade you’ve got on your waist?”_  
_The princess scowled._  
_“It’s just a beast isn’t it? A blade in the eye will kill it as good as anything.”_  
_“You’ve never seen a dragon have you? They’re much larger than that wolf you have here.”_  
_The wolf growled threateningly._  
_“Then I’ll sneak up on it while it’s sleeping. I’m quiet.”_  
_The lady looked pained as she shook her head._  
_“That won’t work. Listen to me. Go back home. I’ve no desire to see another traveler get turned into a batch of burnt bones.”_  
_The princess gripped the ring her sister had given her._  
_“I must go on.”_  
_“Then I will come with you. So you don’t die on the way up.”_  
_Despite the princess’ protestations, the lady ignored her and started leading the way towards the top of the mountain._

_The woman refused to name herself and seemed only interested in trying to convince the princess to abandon her quest, but the princess pressed on. Nothing the princess would say would convince her to talk and, likewise, nothing the lady would say would convince the princess to run away._

_It became a game, of sorts. The two of them testing the other, tricking each other with careful words._

_“Why do you want to slay the dragon so much anyway?” The Lady asked her one day._  
_“He’s pillaging my father’s lands.”_  
_“So you’re a princess.”_  
_The princess did not reply._

_“I used to be a princess too you know.” She whispered quietly to her one night around the camp fire._  
_“Really?”_  
_But she would say no more._

_The lady was frustrating but helpful. She guided the princess to the easiest paths, and helped her avoid the more dangerous ones. In exchange, the princess would share her food and drink with the lady who would sip it delicately and avoid all her questions. Slowly, the princess began to get used to the strange ladies’ presence. She was charming and amusing and beautiful. Even the princess’ wolf companion had taken to the strange lady. Letting her brush her fur, walking side by side with her on the path, nipping at her playfully._

“Was the princess in love then?”  
“She was. Although she didn’t know it yet.”  
“When will she figure it out?”  
Arya sighed.  
“Well if you would let me finish the story without interrupting me...”  
The little girl smiled sheepishly and shut up.

_However, as they neared the dragon’s cave, the lady started getting more morose and forlorn._  
_“You must go back!” She would insist, gripping her arm harshly. “You must.”_  
_But every time the princess refused her._

_Soon however, they started hearing voices as they approached the dragon’s cave. They were bandits, angry at not having managed to get the dragon’s gold. When they saw the princess and the lady they attacked them, hoping to get some riches._

_The princess took out her blade, eager to defend herself and her new companion and her wolf companion howled as she charged the attackers. But there were too many of them, and the princess urged the lady to run before she got injured. However, when she looked around the lady was nowhere to be found._

“Where did she go?”  
Arya raised an eyebrow and the girl obediently closed her mouth again.

_Soon the princess heard a piercing cry and, as she looked up, saw that the dragon had arrived. His black scales glistened under the sun, his eyes were a deep purple that seemed familiar, and he was the largest beast the princess had ever laid eyes on. She would not have been able to kill it with her Needle._

_The dragon landed, roaring furiously and started to breathe fire. The bandits, terrified by the site of the monstrous dragon, ran away. The princess made to join them, but slipped on the stones and hit her head._

_The princess woke up later, with her wolf’s nose buried in her neck. She got up on her unsteady feet and found that she was in the dragon’s lair._  
_“You’re awake.” Said the mysterious lady._  
_The princess turned around and looked into her purple eyes. Eyes that were the exact same shade as the dragon’s._

_Quickly, the princess grabbed her blade and held it defiantly, angry and, though she would never admit it, a tad scared._  
_“What. Are. You?”_  
_“I’m the dragon you’ve been looking for.”_  
_The dragon explained that she’d been cursed by a by a red witch to loose her mind when she became a dragon, and to only be able to be herself when she was stuck in her “weak,_ _human body”._  
_“She said...” the dragon looked away, “she said only true love’s kiss could break the curse.”_  
_The princess snorted._  
_“Perhaps you should have tried wooing those knights then, instead of roasting them alive.”_  
_The dragon snorted._  
_“Those arrogant peacocks? None of them could ever please me. All they were after was gold and glory. Eventually they started coming for your sister’s hand. She must be quite fair, all the knights in the kingdom must have come to give me trouble on her behalf.”_  
_“So that’s why you were waiting at the foot of the mountain?”_  
_“Yes. I usually try and see wether one of the knights or perhaps even their companions could help break the curse but...”_  
_She shrugged._  
_“You must have been disappointed when you found me at the foot of your mountain.”_  
_“Hardly.”_  
_The dragon looked away._  
_“You tried to send me away.”_  
_“I did.”_  
_“Is this the part where you burn me to a crisp?”_  
_“No.” She said the words confidently, as though she was trying to convince herself as well. “But you must go now. I can’t stay in this human body for long.”_  
_“Or...”_  
_Wordlessly, the princess approached the dragon, and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Suddenly, the dragon tore away from the kiss._  
_“Oh! I can feel the curse breaking!”_  
_Before they could revel, they heard the sound of a knight coming up the hill. The dragon pushed the princess behind her despite her protests when they saw a hulking man with a half-burned face make his way into the cave._  
_“Ser!” Said the princess. She recognized him. He was one of the knights pledged to her father. “What has brought you all this way.”_  
_“Your noble sister sent me.” He replied. “She worried terribly about you. She asked me to deliver this letter to you.”_  
_The letter from the princess’s sister expressed worry at the princess’ prolonged disappearance and urged her to leave news with her most trusted knight who she cared for deeply. The princess wrote a letter to her sister and explained all that had happened,_  
_“Tell me truly Ser. Do you love my sister the princess?”_  
_“Most ardently. She is the fairest and truest maiden in these lands. I have sworn to be devoted to her till the end of my days.”_  
_“Then why did you not present yourself to slay the dragon?”_  
_“Your sister forbid me from attempting such a thing. And I have sworn to obey her wishes always.”_  
_“Then here’s what-”_

The rest of her sentence was lost in a giggle.  
“Why are you laughing?”  
Arya muffled another snicker behind her hand.  
“Nothing.”  
She dissolved into laughter again at the image she had just conjured.  
“Mama!”  
“Anyways...”

_“Then here’s what you will do.” The princess explained. “You will take these scales and present to my father the king and tell him that you have slain the dragon.”_  
_She gave him the letter she had written for her sister._  
_“Should anyone enquirer about me tel, them that you have seen neither hide not hair of me. This letter is meant for my sister’s eyes only and contains the truth of the matter.”_  
_“I don’t understand.” Said the dragon. “Why do you not go back to your father’s court?”_  
_“You can’t stay here.” The princess said simply. “I do not wish to be parted from you. Do you?”_  
_The dragon kissed her again._  
_“No. I never wish to part from you again.”_  
_“Then do what you must good Ser and send my sister my regards.”_  
_The knight bowed and obeyed hastily took a few of the dragon’s scales before making his way back down he mountain._

_“Do you truly wish to go with me?”_  
_“Yes.” Answered the princess._  
_The dragon morphed back into her true form and the princess climbed atop her back and they flew off into the sunset to live together happily ever after._  
_The End._

“Wait! That can’t be the end! What happened to the knight?”  
“Well, he married the princess’ older sister and they lived happily ever after too.”  
“But...”  
“It’s time to sleep now.” she tucked her daughter tighter and pressed a kiss to her forehead.  
She struggled sleepily before finally resting her head on the pillows.  
“Mama?”  
“Yes.”  
“Is this a true story?”  
Arya smiled.  
“Some of it is. I’ll tell you the rest when you’re older.”  
Her daughter made a quiet noise of discontentment before finally falling asleep.  
Quietly, Arya left the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

“That was quite a lovely story.”  
She swiveled around quickly and was greeted with Daenerys’ beautiful smile.  
“Were you there for a long time?”  
She shrugged.  
“I heard most of it.” She giggled. “If Sandor was here he’d smash your skull in.”  
Arya laughed.   
“It would have been worth it just to see his face.”  
“You miss them.” It wasn’t a question. Arya thought of Sansa, of Robb, of Jon, of her mother and father and blinked away tears.  
“Yes.”  
“Do you regret coming with me?” The question was asked lightly, as though the answer would not matter to her either way. Arya squeezed her hand.  
“Never.”  
“I was thinking perhaps we could pay them a visit once. Introduce them to their granddaughter.”  
Arya raised an eyebrow.  
“It’s been nearly a decade.” Dany said. “Surely enough time for all of us to be able to start anew.”  
Arya grunted.  
“I’ll think about it.”  
“Good.” She smiled mischievously. “Let’s go to our rooms. Unless you fear having a big bad dragon in your bed?”  
Arya leaned forward and kissed her, her hands curling possessively around her waist.  
“Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my (very late) addition to the de slash February event. But better late than never! This fic was written for @acourtofhopeanddreams so I hope you like it.


End file.
